Follow Your Heart
by mischievalmind
Summary: Harry has to defeat Voldermort if he is ever to live a normal life. This is the journey he takes before the final battle and all he must overcome in order to find himself. Picks up at the end of HBP.
1. On the Run

Disclosure: The characters started from the dreams of JK Rowling. Now they play around in mine.

The hallway was dark. A pale white light blinked from the ceiling on the far end casting shadows to flicker on the walls and move in mysterious ways. One tall, dark shadow moved silently from one end of the hall to the other. To the workers who sat behind the desk, it appeared as nothing more than a trick of light, but to someone who knew about the creatures who went bump in the night, the shadow seemed to take an almost human form.

The shadow seemed to hover outside the doorway at the very end of the hall. A dark plaque hung next to the door. The folders and paperwork of the caretakers where held in a bin beneath the plaque, yet the paperwork was so thick, it covered all but the S, the letter beginning the name of the person to whom the room belonged.

Silently the door to the room swung open the tiniest bit, just enough to let the shadow slip inside. A lamp showed from the bedside table. As the shadow moved forward, into the light, it took on the shape of a tall, thin man. This man had a large hooked nose and long black hair. His black eyes, normally devoid of any emotion, softened as he took in the site before him.

On the bed lay a sleeping woman. Her long dark hair fell in soft waves around her face and shoulders. It was peppered with streaks of gray at the temples. Her own hooked nose was centered in a face the color of pale snow. Small wrinkles formed at the edges of her eyes and corners of her lips, which were parted in a soft smile, as though she where dreaming of someone she loved.

The man looked at the bedside table, which held the lamp, and took note of the items that decorated it. A small, thin stick lay along side a well cared for, but very old book, _Mythical Beings and Magical Mysteries, _along with two pictures. One picture was of the woman, taken when she was much younger. She was in a bed, a small, dark haired boy cuddled next to her. She was reading a passage from the very book that lay next to the picture. The boy, no more than a few years old, stared at her, entranced. A man stood smiling over them, watching the scene with tender eyes. The other picture, also several years old, was of the boy as well. He was older, a teenager, and he appeared sullen and grumpy, and as though he would have wished to have been anywhere else at that moment. He was wearing long green robes, like a graduation gown of sorts and his hair hung in lank locks in front of his eyes. It was easy to see that the boy, the teenager and the man standing at the end of the bed, where one and the same.

"Mother," he whispered softly, taking a seat, being careful not to jar her. "Mother… Mum, I'm here. Your boy is here."

The woman blinked, as she came awake, "Se…" she started to say her eyes clouding in confusion. However, he was glad to see that the confusion quickly wore away, to be replaced with awareness. It had been a very long time since the clouds had left his mother's eyes.

"Yes, mum, it's me. I've come to see you. I've done something mum, something that I had no choice but to do. They will be coming for me soon. I have to go into hiding. They are going to tell you I did something horrible, a crime beyond all other crimes. And they will be telling the truth." He hung his head in shame.

"Son, tell me what you have done. Nothing can be that bad," his mother said, as she drew her hand up to softly tuck a wayward strand of hair behind his ear.

The man looked at her with such pain shining in his coal eyes, that the woman's heart broke. She said nothing, but drew in a harsh breath as he confided, "I have taken another's life. I have killed another human being."

She drew him into her arms as his silent sobs broke forth. Murmuring soft words of comfort, she said, "Tell me."

"I had no choice. The man was going to die. Either by my hand, or by the hand of another, a mere child, naught but a boy. He was being forced into this action by another, more powerful than us all. I could not stand by and watch this boy be turned into a murderer. I could not allow the boy's soul to be damaged so."

"I am sure you did what had to be done, son." She whispered, holding his hand.

"I had no choice. There where others around. I had no way of talking the boy out of it. We both would have been killed if I had tried. He was an old man. I cared for him, almost like a father. He had believed in me. For a moment, before I took his life, I hated him. I hated that old codger for putting me in that position. To cause me to look a traitor to everyone when I have worked so hard to show everyone I have changed and then to also have to choose between my soul and the child's."

"And now?" she questioned.

"And now, we are both on the run. I could not allow the boy to stay behind. He would have been deemed a traitor, and sent away to rot in a cell. I could have taken the torture. I could have easily turned myself in, to receive the punishment for my crime, but I could not have allowed that innocent boy to be punished for something of which he had no control. Nor could I allow him to stay with the others, under the power of that awful man. His soul would have been destroyed in a fortnight if I did. So now, we have no one to turn to, no one who is on our side. I must hide, and take the boy with me. I am going back home. I have placed protection around the grounds, mum. Only you know where I will be. You are my secret keeper. You must keep my secret, mum, as my life and the life of the boy, depend upon it. Promise me."

"I promise son, I will tell no one," she said solemnly, her hand entwined with his, as she stared into his eyes.

"In time, you may tell, but only one person. A boy will come looking for me. He bares the scar. He will be the only one who can save me. However, he does not yet believe in the truth. He believes I killed the man for other reasons. He believes I am on the side of the other's; he believes me a traitor. Do not tell him when he first comes. I know this boy, he will not give up looking for me. He will visit you often. You will know when he is ready to hear the truth. Tell him only then, mum."

"I promise, my dear boy. I promise."

"Remember mum, no matter what other's tell of me, that tonight, I have told you the truth. You will hear cruel things said about me, most will be lies, but there will also be some truth to what is said. I have not been the best son. I have done some very wrong things. But I have tried these past years to make them better. I have tried to right my wrongs. I promise I have tried to be a son who could make you proud, to be a son you could love. I am so sorry, mum. I am so sorry." His shoulders shook, as tears fell onto their entwined hands.

"Son, I trust you, and I believe in you. I will always and have always loved you, even when you have done wrong. I know that you did not want to do what has been forced upon you, but I also know you will make it right. I will always love you, and I am proud that you are my son. Your father would be proud of the man you have become."

She drew her hand from his, and gently cupped his head in her hands. Pulling him towards her she placed a gentle kiss upon his brow. "Now, go. Quickly, before those who are searching for you arrive."

With a last hug, and a kiss upon his mother's cheek, the tall man stepped to the door. As the door opened quietly, he slipped into the darkness of the shadows. He made his way from the hall, down the stairs and outside of the building.

He crept into the alleyway and peered into the depths of the night. Behind a trash bin, a young man appeared. His once pale hair was now streaked with dirt and soot, so it would not gleam in the moonlight. Tear marks trailed upon his cheeks, leaving muddy tracks from his wide, silver eyes. "I thought you had left me here." He, like the man, had changed his clothes for less noticeable clothing. They both had exchanged their normally fine clothing made of silk and fine fabric for worn jeans, patched shirts, and second hand coats they had located in a charity bin.

"I promised you I would look after you. I do not break a vow. Now, hurry, we must get as far away from here as possible. Everyone will be looking for us."

He placed a hand upon the boy's shoulder, in an effort of comfort. Together, they set off down the alleyway, onto one side street, and then the next, until they had walked a maze through the deepest part of the city. As dawn began to creep into the sky, they made their way from the city into the suburbs. By the time the sun had edged the night past the horizon, they had made it to a seldom-traveled dirt road, which ran it's way through the countryside. Onward they walked, not stopping to rest, only leaving the road when a truck or car rambled past where they had taken refuge, as not to be seen.

At noon, the man pulled a bundle from a small bag he had carried under his jacket. He removed a biscuit and some dried beef and handed it to the youth. He also took out a bottle of water. They ate in silence as they walked, passing the water bottle between themselves.

Another hour passed and then two more before the boy asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there. It won't be long now."

For some time now, the teenager had been able to smell the sea on the air. He knew they where somewhere near water. The landside had begun to rise and fall in gentle hills. The boy had grown tired of walking, used to being given his own way, his fear had kept him silent until now. " I'm tired. Can't we stop for just a moment?" he whined.

"Only if you wish to be caught. Now get a move on. We are almost there."

After another short stretch they reached the end of the road as they finally came upon the seashore. The road simply vanished into the water. The man continued upon the road, until it turned into the water. He stopped for just a moment, looking out into the water, at an island just visible at the horizon. He quickly bent and started to take off his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants legs to his knees.

"Come on now. Hurry up." He motioned at the boy, who hastened to remove his shoes and socks and to roll his own pants, though he did not know why he needed to remove his shoes. The water appeared cold and murky and he had no desire to go wading along the beach.

"Follow me and stay right behind me. You don't want to fall off of the path." He then placed one foot into the water and began to carefully walk into the water. The boy stepped into the indention left by the man's steps, and found the water curiously warm. It gently lapped at his feet. As they walked on, he was surprised to find that they did not sink into the depths of the sea. Looking around him, the water seemed to be very deep and full of murky currents, yet walking behind the man, the path they took never lowered below mid calf.

Within minutes they had traveled the length of the path and had reached the shoreline of the island. The man led the boy into the thick lining of trees beyond the beach. Following a path through the dense growth of trees, the pair travailed for several meters, before the trees began to clear. The boy looked beyond the man, who had stopped suddenly in the path and gazed open mouthed at the scenery before him.

Across a very large clearing, was a large stone cliff. A small waterfall gently fell from the top of the jagged rock top above and pooled into a small pond below, which ran into a beautiful, gurgling brook that coursed it's way through the clearing. Near the base of the cliff, to one side of the pond was a small cottage. The back of the cottage appeared to be built directly into the cliff. A garden, overflowing with produce, grew on the other side of the small house. A few feet from the garden were a small shed, and a barn, also built into the cliff. Outside the barn, a paddock contained a few mewling sheep and a young milk cow and her calf. Chickens scattered about in the yard, pecking at the ground, as kittens attempted to catch tadpoles in the shallow pools of the pond.

"Professor" the boy started, in wonderment, as he looked up at the older man. "What is this place?"

"You may as well call me Severus, Draco," the older man informed him.With a smile, the first genuine smile he had made in many years, he spread his arms out and motioned in front of him, "Welcome, Draco, to Dragon's Lair, welcome to my home."


	2. Bringing Friends Home

Disclosure - The characters are not mine, but that doesn't mean I can't play...

"Harry, have you thought of how you're going to tell your Aunt and Uncle that we are staying?" Hermoine asked, as they collected their trunks and began to leave the train.

"No, I guess I'll just play it by ear." Harry mumbled. He was seriously reconsidering his earlier decision to allow his friends, Hermoine and Ron, to stay with him over the summer at the Dursleys. His Uncle Vernon hated the fact that Harry was a wizard. When Harry had discovered this fact at the age of eleven his uncle had forbid him to discuss anything to do with magic while in his household. Luckily, he was in the household only a few weeks out of the summer, as he spent the rest of the year at his school. Hogwarts was a school for witches and wizards, and Harry loved it very much.

Now the school was in trouble. Dumbledore, the headmaster, had been murdered, just a few days before. He has been Harry's mentor, and Harry had much respect for the older man. His death had hit Harry very hard. Professor Snape, a man Harry had never trusted, had killed him. Dumbledore had trusted Snape, because Snape had told him that he had changed his dark ways. Dumbledore had trusted the good in everyone, and that was the only mistake Harry thought he had ever made.

Snape had been working under Lord Voldermort. That was Harry's greatest enemy. He had been a powerful dark wizard who had wanted to rid the world of everyone who was not 'pure-blood'. Muggles were non-magic people, and muggle born were those born into the magical world without magical parents. Voldermort hated Muggles and muggle-born. He called them mudbloods.

Harry, whose mother had been muggle born, had weakened Voldermort when Harry had been a baby. Voldermort had learned of a prophecy that said a child would grow up to defeat him. He had tried to kill Harry, but his magic had rebounded, causing Voldermort to become little more than a spirit. It had taken several years, but Voldermort had regained his body, and was growing more and more powerful It was due to this that Harry had allowed his friends to follow him home.

Harry's mother had lost her life, protecting Harry from Voldermort. It was her love that had saved Harry, and the bloodline, which filtered into his Aunt Petunia, was what kept Harry safe while at the Dursely's house. However, this year Harry turned seventeen, and would be coming of age. This meant he would no longer be under that protection. It meant also that while Harry would have to stay with his Uncle's family for a few more weeks, it would also be for the last time.

This thought made Harry smile as he walked towards the Dursely's. His Uncle Vernon was easy to make out, as he was the largest man at the station. His red face moved back and forth taking in all of the strange people loaded down with trunks and owl cages and even a boy with a very strange looking plant, who had left the platform with Harry. His Aunt Petunia kept her head down and she twisted her handkerchief in her hands. She would hate for any of her nosey friends to have learned that she was there. Her son, Dudley, learned up against a pillar, tried to appear inconspicuous. His previous experiences with magic folk had all turned out badly for Dudley. He had been given a pig's tail the first time he had met a wizard, and he had been given a ton tongue toffee once by Fred and George, Ron's older brothers. Dudley had been a fat overgrown bully when Harry had been younger, now he was a large muscled overgrown bully.

"Come on," Uncle Vernon motioned as Harry walked up.

"Umm, Uncle Vernon, I would like you to meet my friends, Ron and Hermoine," Harry said. Uncle Vernon turned around and glanced at the two, absentmindedly, before starting to turn forward once more.

"Uncle Vernon, Ron and Hermoine are going to be staying with us this summer," Harry announced.

Uncle Vernon stopped in his tracks, "Excuse me?" He questioned, his face turning red.

"Ron and Hermoine are going to be staying with us this summer." Harry said once more.

"And what makes you think I would allow your friends, from that _school, _stay at my house for the summer?" Uncle Vernon asked, his voice unnaturally patient, as they where in a public location.

"Because Dumbledore is dead and your going to want as much protection around the house as possible this summer." Harry stated.

"Dumbledore is dead?" Aunt Petunia said, her hand going to her throat.

"Well, if the old man has died then you know longer have to keep your promise, Petunia. Harry, you and your friends can find someplace else to stay." Uncle Vernon said, a satisfied smile on his face.

Hermoine rushed forward and placed her arm upon his sleeve. It was harder to tell who was the most surprised by this action, "Mr. Dursley, you need us at your house this summer. When Harry comes of age, Voldermort is going to come looking for him. The first place he will look is going to be at your house. He is not going to be happy that Harry is not there and he will most likely kill you, if we are not there to offer you protection."

Uncle Vernon paled considerably and looked at Harry, who nodded. He then looked at Petunia and Dudley. "Very well then, come along."

Hermoine, Ron and Harry followed the Dursely's to the car. Upon reaching the car, they found a problem, which Uncle Vernon was quick to point out. "How are we going to fit all of your things in the trunk? Someone will just have to leave their things here."

Ron took out his wand and said, " Oh, that is no problem." With a flick of his wand, he had shrunk the boxes to where they could fit comfortably in the trunk of the car.

Uncle Vernon turned red once again, "I thought you weren't able to do…_magic_ outside of school."

Ron, not used to Uncle Vernon's moods grinned at the man, "Me and 'Moine are seventeen. We've already come of age. We can do magic whenever we want."

"Not in my house, you won't. I won't have it. I won't have you doing that bloody stuff in my house!" Uncle Vernon's voice had started to rise, and Aunt Petunia began to glance around nervously.

"Calm down, Vernon. I'm sure Harry will sort this all out with his friends, once we get home."

They squashed themselves into the car, the Dursely's cramped into the front, Harry, Ron and Hermoine in the back. It looked like it would be a long and horrible ride, until Hermoine, who had mastered silent spells, took out her own want and the back seat of the car widened considerably. The three friends grinned and sat back to ride in comfort.

As they pulled into the drive, Hermoine shrunk the backseat to its normal size. Uncle Vernon smiled and Dudley laughed as the three scrambled from the back seat. "Nice ride?" Dudley asked.

"Quite comfortable, actually." Hermoine replied, with a sweet smile on her face.

Dudley stood open mouthed as the three gathered their belongings and walked into the house. "Hermoine, you can stay in the guest room. Sorry if it smells like Aunt Marge's dogs. Ron you can kip out with me."

They deposited their things in their room, then went downstairs to talk to the Dursely's in the kitchen.

"There will be rules to follow as long as you're in my house," Uncle Vernon informed them as they took their seats. "First, there will be no magic in my house."

"Mr. Dursley, first let me assure you that you will not have to worry about your neighbors finding out about the wizarding world," Hermoine broke in, "However, Ron and I have come here in order to protect you and your family. We are adults, and we know how to use our magic wisely. We must insure some safety measures have been put in place, for once Harry turns seventeen, the protection currently on this house will be gone. If Voldermort does not make his move upon Harry's birthday, than we will leave to Harry's other house, and you will never see us again. However, if he does attack, like we think he will, then you will be glad we have such measures around.

Uncle Vernon sat back and seemed to actually listen to Hermoine as she spoke. For some odd reason, he actually seemed to be impressed with her ability to speak straightforward to him.

"You and the boy, you promise no one will see you?" he asked, nodding towards Ron. " You promise you won't do anything out of the ordinary while you are here?"

"I promise no one will know that we have done any magic," Hermoine stated. "And I know how to act around, my parents are dentist. They own their own practice in London. I have been raised in the non magic world."

"And him?" Vernon tilted his head.

"Ron, we will work with." Hermoine raised her hand as Ron started to open his mouth. "He is not used to a pure non magical life, but I am sure we can have him converted in no time."

Uncle Vernon sat back and seemed to think deeply on this. After a moment he grunted, "Do what you must. Just make sure no one sees you. Put whatever protection you need on the house, but I think I may be taking the family away for a little while around Harry's birthday, just to be on the safe side."

And so began the trio's life at the Dursely's. Hermoine seemed to be the peacekeeper amongst the bunch. Aunt Petunia loved the fact that Hermoine could help her with the house duties. Hermoine gladly prepared the meals, as she loved to cook. She had confided in Harry that it reminded her of potions. Unbeknownst to Aunt Petunia, Hermoine used her wand for the rest of her chores. All Aunt Petunia cared about was the fact that her house had never been cleaner.

Uncle Vernon grudgingly accepted the fact that there was nothing he could do about the added company. He did seemed impressed when Hermoine and Ron had placed their protection spells on the house in the early twilight hours of dawn, in order that the neighbors would not see. He seemed fond of Hermoine and talked to her about her parent's practice. Ron he ignored much like he had always ignored Harry. When he did refer to either of them, he called Harry 'the boy' and Ron 'that other boy'.

The person who was acting the most out of character was Dudley. He often had bullied Harry in the past, once he had discovered Harry could not do magic outside of school, however, Harry now had Ron at his back. Dudley did not dare to try anything. Even more odd, Dudley had taken to watching his appearance. He now dressed very stylishly, and kept his hair and nails neat. He spoke in a calm manner, and did not throw tantrums. It was Harry who discovered why.

Harry had noticed that Dudley always seemed to enter at breakfast the same time as Hermoine. He held the door from her as she passed into the kitchen, and he would either sit next to her, where he could pass her the dishes, or across from her, where he would glance at her from time to time.

"Hermoine, the oaf has got a crush on you." Harry had told her one-day, as Dudley had left the room to gather the mail. Dudley now even helped with some of the smaller chores. Ron laughed and Harry snickered as Hermoine blushed.

"I know. I thought I would just ignore it until they leave. I have not done anything to encourage it." Hermoine sighed.

Finally, a week before Harry's birthday, Uncle Vernon announced that the Dursleys were going on vacation. They would be gone three weeks, as Hermoine had assured him that they should be safe after that. "Just make sure I have a house to come home to boy," he told Harry. "You keep them in line, Hermoine."

For the next several days, Harry, Ron and Hermoine waited. Ron's parents had kept in touch and assured Harry they would be there for Harry's birthday. Other members of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people who worked against Voldermort, had set themselves up at Harry's other house, Grimmauld Place, so they could be reached in a hurry.

The Weasley parents arrived the day before Harry's birthday. They also brought along Ginny, Ron's younger sister, and Bill, his older brother. The older three members of the family quickly set about checking the parameters of the house, insuring the protection spells Hermoine and Ron had set up where in working order, as well as adding a few more difficult ones they knew.

They then discussed the plan for the following day, as they thought that Voldermort would surely attack as soon as possible. At midnight, Harry, Hermoine and Ron would set themselves up in the guestroom. It was the center bedroom upstairs, and did not have any outside entrance. It would be the most difficult room for the Death Eaters to gain entrance too. The rest of the group would position themselves around the house. Ginny would stay next to the fireplace, where she could floo to the other house if help was needed. If the Death Eaters did not appear that day, then they would all leave to Grimmauld place the next day.

For lunch, Mrs. Weasley fixed them dinner. Remus Lupin had come to take watch until midnight. Everyone was to try to get as much sleep as possible before midnight. Ginny, who Harry had dated and broken up with earlier during the school year, and whom he still greatly loved, kissed him softly before she left for the living room couch. Mr. Weasley had thought it best that everyone should sleep where they would be stationed, so they would not have to rush to their places when the time came. Mrs. Weasley watched her daughter as she had kissed Harry in silence. She said not one word, only wiped a tear drop from her eye, before taking her husband's hand and leaning up to give him a soft kiss as well before they followed Ginny into the living room. Bill would be keeping watch in the kitchen, so he transfigured the table into a small bed where he would sleep.

The trio turned and made their way upstairs. Together they lay down upon the bed. Harry took one side as Hermoine crawled into the middle and rested her head on Ron's shoulder. Ron gave her a deep kiss, which she returned. Harry ignored the two for the moment the kiss took. He knew they had cared for each other and felt that if they where risking their lives for him than they deserved a memorable goodbye. Soon, they where all asleep.

At 11:45, Lupin shook them awake. "Only a few more minutes. I've already awakened the others. Tonks has come for me and I will be leaving shortly to get my own sleep. I've told Ginny to floo at the first sign of trouble and the Order will be here immediately."

Harry shook the older man's hand and then watched him exit the room. The three sat on the bedside waiting in silence. At three minutes until midnight Harry stood and faced the others. "This is stupid, to sit here and worry ourselves to death. Either they are coming for me or not. We may as well have some fun until they show up." He then walked over to Hermoine's trunks and pulled out a large book that he tossed in Hermoine's direction. Taking a deck of cards he faced Ron on the bed, " I'll teach you some muggle card games. They are mostly quite and we can still hear should anything happen."

Harry glanced at the bedside clock at saw that it was now 12:02. He had been seventeen for 2 minutes and nothing had happened. "Happy birthday, Harry," his friends wished him, before they settled down to their activities.

Over the next several hours Harry taught Ron how to play poker, gin rummy and goldfish. Hermoine had already read through two books and was just getting up to get her third when they heard a swooshing sound come from the downstairs fireplace. Quickly they took up their wands, thinking Ginny must have just signaled the others that Death Eaters had appeared.

Harry looked out the door and noticed that it was still dark outside. No morning light was filtering in from the window in the bathroom across the hall. He expected to hear fighting from downstairs, but for several minutes he could hear nothing. Finally, he heard Mrs. Weasley call out from below, "Harry, it's ok. You three can come down now."

"Harry, it could be a trap." Hermoine warned.

Before Harry could think of a way to tell if it was indeed a trap, he heard two loud cracks and suddenly the twins, Fred and George, where standing before him. Both ducked as Hermoine and Ron sent hexes directly at them.

"Hey, watch where you shoot those things!" Fred yelled

"You could take someone's eye out!" George exclaimed.

"What kind of treatment do you expect, you two, showing up with no warning at a moment like this?" Ron asked.

They came downstairs to find everyone gathered in the living room. Lupin was back, and he motioned Harry over to him. "Voldermort isn't showing up here today Harry."

"How do you know?" Harry questioned.

I'll explain everything fully once we get to headquarters. Let me just say that our intelligence has discovered that Voldermort know longer thinks you a threat now that Dumbledore is dead. However, Harry, he could not resist sending you a message on your birthday."

Harry looked around, not noticing anything out of sorts, "What kind of message?"

Lupin placed a hand upon Harry's shoulder. "He found you uncle and his family where they where staying. Harry, they are all dead."


	3. A New Family

Disclosure: Not mine. Please review once you have finished with the chapter. It feels good to know that someone cares enough about your writing to leave you a message.

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_Dead? The Dursleys were dead? _Harry could not believe it. Just a few minutes earlier Lupin had come to collect him and bring him to Grimmauld, and had informed him that his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley had all been murdered by Lord Voldermort.

Harry sat at the table in the kitchen of his home, the home that had been left to him when his godfather Sirius had died at the end of Harry's fifth year at school. The house had belonged to the Black family for several generations. The Blacks had traditionally been a dark wizarding family. When Sirius had offered the house to the Order of the Phoenix, the house had been full of objects of dark magic; sinister potions lurking in the cabinets, creatures that hid in the shadows and attacked the unaware and pictures that screamed out the injustice of having pure blood traitors as guests. The house was not in tiptop shape yet, but all the kids and Mrs. Weasley had worked hard to turn it into a home.

Harry looked around at the table and took in the faces of those who had stood alongside him that night. The Weasley family, minus Charlie who was in Romania and Percy who was a git, Remus Lupin and his new girlfriend Tonks, Bill Weasley's fiancée Fleur, and Hermoine. Lupin had already sent home several members of the Order and other friends, who had been waiting to protect Harry such as, Mad Eye Moody, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Hagrid. As he looked around the table he realized that this was his family now. The last of his bloodline was gone.

"What happened?" he asked as he turned to Lupin again. Lupin nodded towards Molly who conjured coffee cups for all those around the table.

"We have learned through our intelligence, other spies working for the Order, that once Voldermort learned of Dumbledore's death he was very excited. He thinks that without Dumbledore there to push you that you will not be able to defeat him. He is no longer worried about the prophecy. However, he feels that it was your fault that somehow that caused Severus to perform a duty he had set for Draco."

"But I didn't have anything to do with that!" Harry exclaimed. "I was frozen when all that happened. Draco was backing down; Professor Dumbledore had offered him protection for him and his mother. Then Snape came in, and…."

Arthur Weasley, who sat on Harry's other side, patted Harry's shoulder, "We know, son."

Lupin continued on, addressing the room, "As I was saying, he thinks it Harry's fault that Severus ran away with Draco. He not only lost one of his strongest followers that night, he also lost a new recruit whom would be gaining a fortune when he came of age and gained his inheritance.

Voldermort decided to teach you a lesson, Harry, to warn him against interfering with his plans for domination. He sent some of his lesser important Death Eaters to watch over you at the Dursley's."

Harry thought back to the nights he had spent at the Dursley's. There had been times when he felt he was being watched, but he had just chalked that up to nerves.

"By why them, they didn't have anything to do with all this? I didn't care for them, not like I do you guys. I hardly spoke to them."

"Voldermort had no idea that you did not care for them. All he could see was that you lived with them; they were family, and he assumed. You had been friendlier with them then normal. Voldermort was told that you often had long discussions in the kitchen. And then he learned about what Dudley had said."

Harry looked at Lupin; "Dudley spoke to a Death Eater?"

"Yes, it seems that Voldermort is recruiting them young now. Apparently, this Death Eater is about your age. We haven't discovered who he is but we know that he impersonated a muggle and took in with Dudley's gang of friends," Lupin explained. "It seems as though Dudley bragged to his friends about the new relationship he was in with this new girl who was staying with him, a friend of his cousin's."

Everyone turned to look at Hermoine. "Me, he told his friends he was seeing me? I…. I don't believe it! I was only trying to be nice to him. I knew he had a crush on me, but I swear I never encouraged it! What did he tell his friends about me?"

Lupin smiled at Hermoine's hysterics, "I believe he said that you went to a school near Harry's for wayward girls. You had a body that didn't quit and an appetite for sex that was overwhelming."

"That's quite enough. I get the picture," Hermoine interrupted.

"He also told his friends how he now had contacts through his cousin and bragged about how tight he was with someone who was in a boys institution. His friends seemed to be impressed with Harry's delinquent nature."

"That fits Dudley's friends," Harry muttered.

"When your Uncle Vernon took the family away, Voldermort had them followed. They went to his sister's home."

"Aunt Marge?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, I believe that was her name. Shortly after I arrived back here this morning, our spies contacted us to tell us that Voldermort had sent his Death Eaters on a mission. We arrived at Marge's just a short time later, but it was too late."

"At least they died quickly. They must not have had time for anything but the killing curse," Hermoine stated.

"Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Voldermort wanted them to suffer. The Death Eaters caused an explosion. The house was still a ball of fire when we arrived. Marge was dead, so we left her there, but we took Vernon, Petunia and Dudley to St Mungo's. They were all badly burned. Dudley died in transport, as he was too badly hurt to be apperated. The healers did everything they could. Vernon died shortly after we arrived. Your Aunt hung on the longest, Harry." Lupin said, his voice growing soft.

Harry looked up at this and met Lupin's sad eyes, "She was worried for you, Harry. She forgot that it was your birthday, and she kept telling everyone that you needed her blood for protection. She made us promise to save her blood for you. She said it contained your mother's love."

Harry lowered his head and thought about all the times that his Aunt had been rude to him, or had punished him for something that Dudley had done. Yet, even when her family had been killed, she still had thought of him. He raised his head and wiped his eyes. Lupin pulled something from his pocket and placed it in front of Harry.

"She made us promise to give this to you."

Upon the table was a pendant attached to a long strip of brown suede. The pendant was made of glass and silver. A round silver circle, etched in strange symbols encased a small glass vial, which shown bright red in the kitchen light. Harry picked it up. It felt warm to the touch.

"Your Aunt's blood," Lupin informed him.

Harry took the ends of the suede string and tied it around his neck, tucking the pendant inside his shirt, next to his heart.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, brushing a tear from her eye, "Off to bed with you lot. We could all use a few more hours of sleep."

The group traveled together up the stairs. The house was large enough for them all to have their own rooms, yet the twins still bunked together, Harry and Ron shared a room and Hermoine and Ginny also slept in the same room.

"'Reckoned you'd be sleeping in the Master Suite now, Harry. You're the owner of the house now, you know," Ron said as they entered the same room they had slept in many years before.

"Not yet," Harry replied. "It still belongs to Sirius. I just can't bring myself to remove his things."

The boys climbed into their beds and soon where asleep. Harry dreamt strange things. Images of his Aunt, Uncle and Dudley kept passing before his eyes. In some they appeared normal, in other images they where burned and bloody. Other faces of the dead filtered into his dreams Sirius, Cederic, Professor Quirrell, Harry'' parents. Lastly, came an image of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore flashed into his mind. He appeared strong and powerful. His blackened hand was well again and his eyes sparkled with a hidden fire.

"I'm sorry to hear of your family, Harry. However, they are in a place now where no one can hurt them. They are happy now."

The image of Dumbledore in Harry's dream was so real, so lifelike; that Harry forgot that he was, in deed, dreaming.

"Professor, I need you back. I don't know what to do." He pleaded to the man inside his head.

"I am always here for you, Harry. All you have to do is ask for my help."

"Please help me, sir. Tell me what to do."

"Follow your heart. It will lead you in the right direction."

"But where do I need to start?" Harry asked.

"Always start at the beginning, Harry. Go back to the beginning."

"The beginning," Harry repeated. "The beginning. Follow your heart. Always start at the beginning."

"Harry, you alright there?" Harry opened his eyes to find Ron leaning over him. Hermoine stood off to the side of the bed.

"You have been asleep for so long, Harry. Lupin said to let you sleep that you had to recover from the shock. Mrs. Weasley said to come wake you though, that you needed to eat," Hermoine rambled from the end of the bed.

"How long have I been out?" Harry asked.

"Nearly two days, mate," Ron answered. "You've been completely out of it. Fred and George didn't even disturb you when they set of their new brand of fireworks earlier on accident. But you've been muttering on and on about things, like just now. You kept saying something about starting at your heart."

"Start from the beginning. Follow your heart," Harry repeated. "I'll explain over breakfast. I am famished."

Harry dressed and the trio made their way down the stairs. They found the kitchen empty. A note lay on the table.

_Dear Harry, Ron and Hermoine,_

_Ginny and I have gone to Diagon Alley for supplies. Remus received an urgent message from Headmistress McGonagall and has left for Hogwarts. Everyone else has returned to work. You should have the house to yourself until this evening, unless Remus returns early. _

_Love_

_Molly_

Harry sat at the table as Ron and Hermoine magically prepared breakfast. As they ate, he told them about the dream.

"Dosh ew illy baweaveuz in vur dems?" Ron questioned his mouth full of eggs.

"Ronald, swallow your food," Hermoine admonished.

"Sorry," Ron swallowed. "Do you really believe he was in your dreams?"

"I really do, Ron. He seemed so real, like he was standing right in front of me."

"I believe you," Hermoine stated, as she picked up everyone's plates and took them to the sink. With a flick of her wand a washcloth began to wipe them clean.

"Just because someone is dead, that doesn't mean you can't still communicate with them. Harry, you've communicated with the dead before. You spoke to Cedric and your Mum and Dad. And I have heard things about that room at the Ministry of Magic, where Sirius died. I think they use that passage way to talk to the dead," Hermoine told them.

Harry remembered how it had seemed as though someone had been speaking to him from behind the veil covering the archway that Sirius had fallen through. "But Dumbledore appeared to me in a dream, Hermoine."

Hermoine looked at Harry with a look of exasperation. "Harry, how many other times have your dreams told you things. I think if Dumbledore has found a way to communicate with you from the other side, than he would mostly likely use your dreams as the way to do it."

Ron looked from Hermoine to Harry and back again. "But if Harry is really seeing him in his dreams, than what does that message mean?"

Harry thought about it. Suddenly, Hermoine sat up in her chair. "I've got it," she exclaimed. "Follow your heart means exactly that. You leaned on Dumbledore too much, Harry, when he was alive. You've got to learn how to follow your own intuition. Start at the beginning, must be the direction he wants you to go."

"But the beginning of what?" both boys asked.

"Godric's Hollow. That is where all this began with you, Harry. I think he was telling you to go back to Godric's Hollow. There must be something there you will need."

Harry took in what Hermoine had said. It sounded as though she was right, "But how am I supposed to know what to look for?"

"Follow your heart." Hermoine and Ron said together.

Later that evening, when everyone had returned home, Harry announced his plans. Everyone agreed that Hermoine seemed to have reached the correct conclusion.

"I always said you where the brightest witch of your age, Hermoine" Hermoine blushed as Lupin beamed at her.

"When are you leaving?" Tonks asked.

"I thought I would leave tomorrow. The sooner I have what I need to defeat Voldermort, than the sooner I will be able to live a normal life." Harry answered.

"Hermoine and I are going to," Ron announced. "We told you that we would be with you throughout all of this."

"I'm going, too." Ginny stated a defiant look on her face.

"No, you are not," Mrs. Weasley told her. "Ron and Hermoine are adults and Harry will may need there help. You are still underage and we still have to get you prepared for school."

Harry turned to Lupin; "McGonagall is going to open the school?"

"Yes, some people on the board wanted it to stay closed, and there will be a shortage of instructors, but I imagine there will also be a shortage of students. However, Minerva felt that as long as there are students who still want to learn, than the school shall remain open."

"I bet Hagrid had something to do with that decision," Mr. Weasley said.

"I believe he may have brought the subject up a time or two," Lupin said, his lips twitching.

"And it will also offer protection to those children whose parents are working for the Order," Tonks added.

"Harry, I do realize that you, Hermoine and Ron will be too busy for school this year, at least until we have discovered how to get ride of all this," Mrs. Weasley stated. "But I want you three to promise to me, that when this is over and done with, that you will return to school for your final year.""

"Yes, ma'am" the trio replied.

"I thought something like this may happen," Lupin interrupted. "Minerva has already given permission for you three to stay at the school when you are not working on how to win this war."

"Oh, that is a wonderful idea!" Hermoine gushed. "That way we will have access to the library for research, and we may be able to find things in Dumbledore's possessions that could help us."

"And we can search Snape's quarters too. Maybe we can find his diary or something," Ron added.

"I'm sure Minerva would not mind you taking a look, however, you'll have a hard time with it," Lupin announced. "We've all tried every kind of spell we can think of, but no one has been able to get into his quarters."

"If we aren't going to be officially in school, are we still going to be allowed in the dorms?" Hermoine asked.

"Minerva said she is not going to bother sorting the classes this year. We doubt that many children will attend. We are going to combine the different years into different dorms. Minerva actually wants you three to stay in the guest quarters."

Harry looked at his wristwatch. It was getting late. "Time for bed. I want to get an early start out in the morning."


	4. Back to the Beginning

Disclaimer : Not mine

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Harry opened his eyes the next morning and watched the sunlight glisten over the dancing air particles near the window. He lay there for a few minutes thinking about the dream he had just had. Once again, Dumbledore had visited him in the night.

"_Follow your heart, Harry." _

Harry rose and noting that Ron was not in the room quickly dressed and went downstairs. He found Ron in the kitchen with his mother. She was giving him a pep talk, telling him to make sure that he was careful.

"Come on, Mum. Don't worry. I'll be fine. You know I have to go. Who else is going to keep Harry out of trouble?" Ron said, as his mother placed a plate of food in front of him.

"Oh yes, Mrs. Weasley, I would have never made it through all of those dangerous situations without Ron by my side," Harry snickered as he nicked a piece of toast from Ron's plate.

"Morning, Harry," Ron said as his face turned a deep shade of red. "Have you seen Hermione?"

"No, she must still be asleep." Harry said

"Hermione was up two hours before you two," Mrs. Weasley informed them. "She flooed to Diagon Alley to make arrangements for your travel. "

Just as soon as Mrs. Weasley finished her sentence, they heard the fireplace whoosh. Turning they watched Hermione step from the green flames.

"Morning. Harry since neither of you has passed your apperation tests, I arranged for us a portkey for the journey to Godric's Hollow. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get one on a Saturday," Hermione held up a battered old book. "We have about thirty minutes before it is activated. Harry, I stopped at Gringott's and had Bill collect some money from your vault."

Harry took the pouch from Hermione and together, he and Ron followed her up the stairs. Hermione went into her and Ginny's room and the young men continued onto their room.

"Thirty minutes? Blimey, she didn't give us nearly any time to pack." Ron complained.

Harry ignored him, although he agreed. However, he felt it would be easier if he knew that spell Tonks had used on his trunk when he had first met her.

"Harry, can we talk a bit?" Ron asked. "I know me, you and Moine are the best of friends. You know I would do anything for you. I love you like a brother. But, Hormone, I…."

Harry watched as his friend's face turned an alarming shade of red. "I know, Ron. I saw you kiss the other night. If you want to date, it won't bother me. As long as you're not always snogging in front of me," he joked.

Harry became alarmed as his friend's face took on a very serious, pained expression. "I love her, Harry," Ron said softly.

"Ok." Harry didn't understand why Ron was behaving so strangely. "I would hope you would have some feelings for her, especially if you're going to put your tongue in her mouth."

Ron threw his shirt in his trunk. "You don't get it, Harry. I love her. I really love her. "

Harry smiled at his friend's frustration, "Ok, So, you really love her," he said as he turned around and crossed the room to pick up his trainers next to the window.

"I'm going to marry her."

Harry turned back around so quickly that he tripped over his own feet. "You're going to what?"

Ron smiled at the look on Harry's face. "Close your mouth, mate. I said that Hermione and I are going to get married."

Harry picked up his shoes, once more, and crossed back over to his trunk. "But you haven't even dated yet. How do you know that you want to get married?"

Ron sat down on the bed next to Harry. "I've loved her since first year. Well, I've liked her since first year. Then, it hit me, at the Yule Ball. I started to see her as not just my best friend, but also as a girl. Then she was with Victor and I sort of gave up on those thoughts. I reckoned it was just a phase. Then after me and Lavender were over, Hermione and I started spending more time together."

"I never saw the two of you together." Harry stated in shock.

"Well, you weren't around that much, where you?" Ron said. "You spent most of your time in detention with Snape at the end of the year. The rest of the time, I believe you spent snogging my sister."

"Well, um, I was dating her," Harry pointed out.

"I don't mind," Ron said. "If I had a problem with it I would have told you back then. In fact, I think you need to rethink that whole thing. Who cares if Voldermort finds out? I think you should give Ginny a chance. I like the idea of you being family. Besides, when you where together it left more time for me and Hermione to get to know each other more, um, personally."

Harry looked at Ron, whose face was as red as his hair. "Just how personal have you two been?"

Ron's face began to burn such a bright red that for a moment Harry thought he might have stepped out of line. Then Ron smiled at him, his eyes taking on a dream like quality. "Oh, we've just snogged a bit. There was that one time, when we where alone in the library together, back behind the restricted section."

"And?" Harry questioned.

Ron grinned at Harry, his eyes twinkling, "Oh, she just let me feel her up a bit under her robes."

Harry knew that Ron was not telling him everything. "Come on, Ron. We're supposed to be best friends. You know I would give you details," he teased.

"Harry, if it was any other girl I would give you the play by play, but this is Hermione. She's really special. I'll tell you that we didn't go all the way, but it was close. But that's not what I meant by close. We've spent a lot of time talking, and sharing our hopes and dreams."

"I'm happy for you then. If you are sure that you want to get married, than I'll stand beside you one hundred percent." Harry said.

Ron stood up and went back to packing. "That's great, because I was hoping you would be my best man."

Harry grinned, "Of course I would be. But when is all this going to happen? You've got to ask her first."

Ron grew serious once more. "I asked her already, at the Dursley's, the night before mum and dad came. We just didn't say anything about it to everyone yet. I wanted to tell you first, to make sure you where ok with it. I mean, you and Hermione and I have always been so close, and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Harry stood up and clapped his friend on the back; "I'm fine with it. You're my best mate, Ron, and Hermione is like a sister to me. So when do you tell the family? When is the big day?"

"We want to wait until after Bill's wedding before we make the announcement. We don't want to steal any of their thunder. We decided to tell that family the week after, when Bill and Fleur return from their honeymoon. I don't know how long the engagement is going to last. We decided to wait until you've defeated You Know… Voldermort." Ron said the last word with a look of daring in his eye.

"I'm glad you can finally say his name," Harry said. "But we don't know how long it will be before Voldermort has been defeated. It could take months, years even, if we ever do defeat him."

"I have confidence in you." Ron said

"And I have confidence in both of you," came a voice from the doorway. Hermione stood just inside the room and she walked over to the two, wiping tears from her eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" Ron asked as Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Long enough," Hermione said, standing on tiptoe and placing her lips gently to his. She ended the kiss quickly and then turned to Harry.

"Congratulations," he said, taking her into a big bear hug.

"Thank you," Hermione said, "but don't think you're getting off that easily. Details? Harry, details? I thought you where better than that. Only Draco Malfoy would go around giving details."

"I was only kidding, Hermione," Harry said. "Besides, Ginny told me you two talk."

"Look as this room," Hermione exclaimed, "We only have a few minutes and neither of you are packed yet."

As Hermione glared at the two of them, Harry turned to Ron. "_Changed the subject," _he mouthed.

"Never you mind," Hermione admonished.

"Can't you help?" Ron begged. "I know you know the spell to take care of all this, you are so brilliant you are."

"Please, Hermione, can't you?" Harry begged as well.

"Oh, piss it," Hermione exclaimed. "Move over." She flicked her wrist and Ron's trunks where packed. "I'm only doing this because we only have a few minutes left and I want to say goodbye before we leave," she informed them as Harry's trunks packed themselves.

As soon as the trunks where packed and locked up, Hermione shrunk them and Harry placed them in his money bag, along with Hermione's trunk. As the young men walked down the stairs behind Hermione, and entered the kitchen, Harry turned to Ron; "Did she actually say 'piss it'"?

"I think I may be rubbing off on her," Ron laughed. "You should hear her when she says 'bloody hell'; it turns me on so bad."

Harry laughed and walked over to where Mrs. Weasley and Ginny where standing. Mrs. Weasley hugged both the boys and stepped back. "You three be careful. Ginny and I will be leaving tomorrow for the Burrow. We have to get everything ready for the wedding next week."

"Harry, I'll miss you." Ginny said. Harry pulled her over to the corner of the room.

"Ginny, before we go, I want you to know something. I love you. I never stopped. I want you to be my girlfriend again. If that is ok with you?" Harry asked.

Ginny smiled at Harry and then placed her hands around his neck. As she drew him down, closer to herself, she whispered, "I thought you would never come to your senses." As their lips met, Harry felt as though his head was spinning. He tightened his arms about her waist as she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth and drawing Harry's tongue inside.

"OK you two!" They turned around to find Mrs. Weasley watching them. "I don't mind you two sharing a small kiss, but you need to keep that kind of kissing private. Your father would have a fit, Ginny, if he saw you kissing a boy, even if it is our Harry you're dating."

"Sorry, Mum." Ginny said, her head bowed although she was smiling.

"Ok, I know I've already said it but you three be careful. I'll expect you back by Tuesday. That will give you today to settle in, and tomorrow and the next day to find whatever Dumbledore has set you to find. If you haven't found it by then, you'll just have to go back after the wedding."

"I'm sure we will find it, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said. "Dumbledore wouldn't have led us on a wild goose-chase."

A chime on Hermione's wrist sounded. "Alright, time to go."

Harry gave one last quick kiss to Ginny, and smiled sheepishly at Mrs. Weasley. He joined Hermione and Ron at the table and placed his hand on the book. He had just noted the name of the book, _Mythical Beings and Magical Mysteries, _when he felt a tug in his navel and was soon finding himself being picked up from the ground.

Harry looked around and found himself in a small clearing. "Where are we?"

"About a half mile from Godric's Hollow," Hermione answered. "The Ministry could not get us any closer, due to magical restrictions. We need to go this way."

They followed Hermione out f the clearing and into a grove a trees. I t really was a shallow grove and soon opened up into a small street. The house there was very nicely built, two storied, with a large front yard, which was gated.

"Quite posh," Ron commented.

"Yes, this is one of the more influential neighborhoods around here," Hermione stated.

"Just where exactly are we? Where is Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked.

"Godric's Hollow is a small estate located outside of Cardiff. It belonged to Godric Gryffindor and was passed down from one eldest son to the next, except in 1514, when the house was given to the eldest daughter, as no son's where born that generation. She then passed it on to her oldest son, and the line of sons started once more."

"How do you know so much about this place?" Ron asked.

"I've read about it of course. It's in several books about Voldermort, at least all of the books that mention Harry." Hermione explained.

Soon the copper plated bars from the house they had passed changed to black iron. They walked several more feet before turning a corner in the road. There the hedges against the gating opened to show a large gardened yard, and a two-storied cottage. A gate stood closed before the drive. The iron bars spelled out in an arch above the gate, Godric's Hollow.

"I thought the house was supposed to be in ruins?" Ron asked.

"No, one of the books I read said the house had a restoration spell placed on it," Hermione said. "I imagine it took quite a long while with the shape Voldermort left it in, but it looks sound now"

"How are we going to get in?" Ron asked. "What if muggles live there now? We can't very well go up and ask them if we can take a look around."

"This house is muggle protected along with the other houses on this road. Apparently, if a muggle drives down this road, he only sees a large bog."

"So the house we just passed belongs to a wizard?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I believe the house we just passed is Neville's. When his parent's became ill, his grandmother came to live with him in his parent's house."

Harry registered this news in surprise. He had learned earlier from Dumbledore that the prophecy that Voldermort had been told of could very well have described Neville. It could have been Neville whose parents could have been murdered. Neville could have been the one scared. If not for the fact that Voldermort had chosen Harry for some unknown reason, than Neville could have been the boy-who-lived. It struck Harry even harder, now that he realized how close Voldermort had been to both of them that night.

"So which wizarding family lives in this house?" Ron asked.

"No one lives there," Hermione answered. "Haven't you to figured it out?"

Both of the young men looked at her in confusion. "I talked to Professor McGonagall this morning, while I was obtaining the portkey. I met her outside of Flourish and Botts. She was making sure they had schoolbooks for the children this year. We had tea before I traveled to the Ministry. It was really nice, sitting there and talking to her one on one."

"Heroine, make a short story of it, please," Harry interrupted.

Hermione glared at her friend, "The point is, she told me all about when Harry's parents had lived here. She explained the spell Professor Dumbledore had placed on the estate. Dumbledore felt that the best way to hide your parents was in their very own home."

"You mean my parent's never really went into hiding?" Harry asked.

"No, they only left for a few hours while Dumbledore placed the spell on the house. He thought it would be easier for your mum, with you being a baby still, to have all your familiar items about. They left, in order to tell the Secret Keeper their whereabouts and then came right back home." Hermione shook her head; "It really was a brilliant idea. Anyone looking at the property would see a deserted house, and think they had went into hiding somewhere else, when they really where there all the time. The only person who could see them was the secret keeper."

"And he ran right to Voldermort, didn't he?" Harry asked sarcastically. "So this house belonged to my parent's?"

"Which means that this house belongs to you now, Harry," Hermione stated.

"Wouldn't someone had told me before now that I owned a house? They told me right off when Sirius left his house to me." Harry said.

"McGonagall explained that as well. Dumbledore didn't say anything about it because he didn't want you leaving the protection of your mother's blood that tied you to the Dursley's. According to Minerva, he did not want you to leave before you became of age," Heroine explained.

"I certainly would have left, had I known I had somewhere else to go." Harry agreed.

"So how are we going to get inside?" Ron asked, pushing against the gate, which was locked shut.

"You try it, Harry," Hermione ordered.

Harry stepped up to the gate and placed his hand upon the latch. Warmth spread inside his hand as he touched the metal. Silently, the gate swung open.

"The front yard looks very well cared for," Hermione remarked. "I can only imagine what the inside will look like after so many years."

"Hermione, if my parent's owned this house," Harry began.

"Then your great, great, great, great grandmother was Esmeralla Potter, the first granddaughter of Godric Gryffindor to inherit the house."

"But Hermione, I swear I remember reading that Bowman Wright lived in this house around 1514," Harry countered.

"Bowman Wright lived here after your grandfather passed away. Esmeralla Gryffindor married Hisais Potter in 1462. They had three children; Davikyl, your great, great, great grandfather, Taurin, and Liam. Hisais was killed by a Runespoor bite. With three young sons to raise, she married again before her mourning period was over. But that does explain why so many of your relatives have been so good at Quidditch."

Harry shook his head as they reached the front door, "All that time in our second year that I worried I was Slytherin's heir and I really was Gryffindor's."

Harry placed his hand on the doorknob and gave it a light turn. The door opened and the trio went inside.

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Thank you to my reviewer who let me know I was not spelling Hermione's name correctly all this time. My spell check never caught it, and I rely very heavily on it. I wanted to make you all aware that while this story is rated M, it will mostly be for further chapters. I know several of my fans have complemented me on my sex scenes and while they will eventually show, it will be much further down the line. This story will not be just about the sex, it will be an actual story which happens to include some sex along with some action and adventure, some drama, romance and everything else that makes up a story.


	5. Godric's Hollow

Notice : not mine

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Harry opened the door and they all stepped inside. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkened room, but once they could see, they let out a collective gasp. As they took a step forward into the room, light filled the room from some unknown source.

"It's just like your pictures, Harry," Hermione stated. Indeed, the house was decorated much the same as it had appeared in the pictures Hagrid had given him several years prior. Harry had studied the photo album Hagrid had given him several thousands of times, as it was the only items he had of his parents. Looking around the room felt very much as though he had stepped inside the photographs.

The entranceway opened into a large sitting area. The honeyed wooden floor glimmered in the areas where the light hit is directly. To the far left of the room a wooden staircase traveled upwards. A door under the stairway was opened just enough to glimpse of lightly flowered wallpaper and a white gleaming toilet, declaring the room as a lavatory. A set of double doors stood shut against the far wall.

The room itself was warm and inviting. The walls were a soft cream paint. A large sofa sat in the middle of the room, turned away from the staircase, facing a huge fireplace. The fireplace was made of soft gray stone and reached from floor to ceiling. Picture windows, on each side of the fireplace and covered in soft lace curtains, overlooked the gardens outside. To each side of the sofa was deep-seated cushioned chairs. The chairs faced each other, separated by an oval coffee table.

Harry turned to look at the walls supporting the front of the house. Bookshelves ran the entire length of the walls, separated only by the front door and front windows. Harry walked over to the bookshelves and saw that they inhabited a wide range of books, covering topics of wizarding knowledge as well as muggle fiction and nonfiction.

Hermione took a book off the wall and gasped in amazement, as the pages between the book cover grew thicker in her hand. Ron picked up a baby blanket that lay over the arm of one of the chairs. The blanket had several holes which slowly knitted themselves back together before their eyes.

"It looks as though the house is still repairing itself," Harry stated. He walked to Ron and took the blanket from his hands. He had a faint memory of sitting on the blanket outside in the front yard beneath one of the trees, watching his mother plant flowers.

"Be careful, if the house it not fully repaired, it may not be safe to be inside," Harry cautioned.

"It is safe." Harry looked down in amazement when he heard the squeaky little voice next to him. Just hardly reaching his kneecap stood a small little house elf, wearing a sparkling white tea towel toga fashion around its body. The house elf had large round eyes and bat-like ears. It appeared feminine in statue as it curtsied before Harry, holding its towel like a skirt on each side.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

The little creature looked at Harry in amazement before bursting into tears. "You doesn't remembers me?" the house elf asked. "I is Harry Potter's house elf, and Harry Potter's nanny. I takes care of Harry Potter when Harry is a baby."

Ron looked at the little creature that cried at Harry's feet in amused bewilderment. Hermione glared at Harry and walked over to pat the house elf gently on the shoulder. "What is your name?" she asked.

Before the house elf could reply, Harry had a passing memory reach out to him from the back of his mind. He could remember the house elf singing him to sleep and playing with him while his parents sat together on the sofa and read books.

"Ophie?" Harry said, as the name hit him. The creature looked up and smiled, it's thin lips revealing a mouthful of brilliant small white teeth.

"Oh, he remembers, Master Harry does!" she exclaimed. "Ophie is my name!"

In her excitement Ophie placed her little arms around Hermione's neck and gave her a hug. She then ran about the room, hugging Ron' knees and then Harry's.

Ophie ran over to the sofa and jumped up before sitting down, placing the hem of her towel around her legs in a ladylike fashion. She motioned for Harry to sit next to her. Ron and Hermione took the seats next to the sofa.

"Ophie," Hermione asked, "Are you the only house elf here?"

"Yes, Miss," Ophie replied. "There was four of us when Master Harry left us. When that horrible man broke Godric's Hollow, and Master James and his wife died, we was released and made free by the Ministry. The other three all found work in other households, but Ophie could not. Ophie's place is with Godric's Hollow. She knew that someday Master Harry would return."

Harry smiled down at Ophie as she patted his knee in a motherly fashion. "Ophie, if you are a free elf, you don't have to call me Master. Harry will be just fine."

"You have done a lovely job with the place," Hermione stated. She was obviously pleased that the house elf was free. Hermione had given up on her SPEW club but she had not given up the idea that elf enslavement was wrong.

"The house is safe and sound, although some of the items in the house are still under repair. Ophie has put magic on everything to put it back in tiptop condition for when her Harry is home. Only a few more items is left being done and they is finishing up repairing right now. Come I show you."

Ophie dropped down from her seat and took Harry by the hand. Her small fingers gripped just the end tips of his own fingers as she reached up to him. Once he started to follow her, she let go and skipped in front of them to open the set of doors Harry had noted earlier.

The doors opened to reveal a sunny kitchen and dining area. The wooden floors continued into the room, which was painted a bright yellow and white. A table sat on one side of the room, next to a glass-fronted hutch which held blue onion patterned dinnerware. The kitchen area contained a refrigerator, a stove, a stone chopping block and a marble sink. A meal appeared to be cooking itself on the stove. Coffee mugs hung from hooks under the cabinets and a full tea service sat on the counter top next to the refrigerator. A large, brown, beehive shaped jar stood in the middle of the table. It had been hand painted to read 'Harry's Cookies'. Harry opened the lid and helped himself to a ginger newt.

"Ophie made sure that Harry would have lots of biscuits. Ophie made several batches for Harry last night. Ophie knows that Ginger Newts are Harry's favorite. Harry cut his teeth on Ophie's biscuits."

Ophie lead the out of the kitchen and Harry stopped to have a peak at the rest room before following the group up the stairs. It was a small guest bathroom, containing only a sink, mirror and toilet, yet it was not cramped and was nicely done with the flowered wallpaper. A gleaming white towel hung on a hook next to the sink.

Harry walked up the stairs holding on to the banister, which had been shined to a brilliant polish. The upstairs also had the same honey colored flooring. A long hall ran the length of the top floor. A sage green carpet runner made a path down the hallway, ending beneath a white lace curtained window.

Harry turned to the right, and walked through the open doorway. Ophie was showing Ron and Hermione the Noah's ark decorated nursery, which she was referring to as 'Harry's room'. The room contained a crib, a changing table, and a closet, which was open to reveal several small baby outfits. The crib contained several toys and teethers. It looked as though it was only waiting for a baby to be placed inside.

Harry grew silent as Ron watched Hermione coo over the baby items in the room. This was the last place his mother had been alive. Harry had been inside the very crib that stood in front of him, when Voldermort had took her life. Harry was now looking down into the crib, much as Voldermort must have looked into the crib, when Voldermort had cast the spell which had stripped him of his powers, and had started the adventure of Harry's life.

Harry walked out of the room and traveled the hallway on his own. Across from the nursery was a door that opened to reveal a very small pink room. "_This room must belong to Ophie," _Harry thought. A very small bed was arranged beneath a window. A dresser and a mirror furnished the room as well.

Further down the hall where two guest bedrooms. Both where handsome rooms, furnished with beds, wardrobes, and full length mirrors. One bedroom was decorated in sage green and the other room was done in lavender. Harry also discovered a full guest bathroom that was papered the same as the downstairs version, but which also contained a tub with a shower.

Harry walked to the last door at the end of the hall. He turned the knob and walked into the master suite. A large room decorated in white, with accents of red and gold spread before him. A white cotton rug covered most of the floor. The large four poster bed sat against the far wall. Harry could see through an open door on one side of the wall, which revealed a master bath. Another open door on the other side of the wall depicted a walk in closet. A small sitting area of plush, plump chairs sat in front of a stone fireplace. Harry's eyes watered as he starred at the painting above it.

The large picture took up most of the wall above the mantel. The picture was a painting of his parent's wedding day. His mother was dressed in her wedding gown, a white veil covering her rich red hair. Harry's father was dressed in a black tux, his dark hair standing on end. They had their arms around each other and were smiling into each other's eyes. The painting did not move, as most wizarding pictures and paintings did. Harry looked into the corner of the picture and noted a signature. A Muggle, Harry Evans, had rendered it.

"Your mother's father painted that," Ophie announced as she entered the room. "Miss Hermione and Mr. Ron is settled into their rooms. They have gone to the kitchen for lunch. You, Harry, is much to skinny. You is needing some of Ophie's good food to nourish your body and soul. Come follow me. Is time to go and eat."

Harry followed Ophie out of the room. He took one last glimpse of the painting before shutting the door behind him. He followed Ophie back down the hall, down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his friends had taken their chairs at the table.

"Sit, Harry," Ophie directed him. "Ophie will be in the front room should you need anything."

Harry watched as the little house-elf skittered from the room. As Harry sat down, a pot of stew flew across the room from the stove and began to ladle itself out into bowls placed before each person.

"So have you seen anything that explains your dream?" Hermione asked.

Harry had just taken a bite of the warm stew and he swallowed the mouth watering meal slowly before answering, "Nothing in particular comes to mind, although we did talk about Voldermort trying to use something of each of the four founders for a horcrux. I imagine some of this stuff could have been passed down from Gryffindor, but I don't know how we will be able to tell if any of it contains a piece of Voldermort."

"Perhaps," Ron started, "You should just load all the old stuff together in one lump and then destroy the lot of it."

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed. "Have you gone off your rocker? Anything that belonged to Gryffindor would be several centuries old. How could…? Destroy it? Those items are priceless!"

Harry laughed as Ron looked smugly over at Hermione. "It was only a suggestion," he said with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You know perfectly well, Ronald that we couldn't destroy those artifacts. You just wanted a rise out of me," Hermione glared.

Harry had to laugh aloud when Ronald looked over at him having lost the battle on his grin, "She's beautiful when she's angry, isn't she Harry?"

Harry kept silent when Hermione turned to glare at him. He could not hide the amusement from his green eyes and after meeting Hermione's glare with a stare of his own, they both burst out laughing together.

They finished their meal, Harry and Hermione having to wait patiently while Ron completed a third helping of stew, and then the group went into the front room.

Ophie was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book, which she placed next to her when the others entered the room.

Harry was about to ask Ophie about any heirlooms that may have been passed down in the house, when a loud crack permeated the room. The loud sound was immediately followed by a second that announced the arrival of the only other house-elves Harry had known.

Standing before him, his long nose squashed to the ground was Harry's house elf Kretcher. Kretcher was old and mean and was only kept around because he knew too much about the Order. He had become Harry's when Harry was given possesion fo Grimmauld Place. Standing next to Kretcher was Dobby, a free house elf, who had much devotion for Harry, and who had helped save Harry's hide on many occasions, but not without usually causing much trouble for Harry in the process.

"What are you to doing here?" Harry asked. The pair where workers for Hogwarts and helped in the kitchens.

"Where Master goes, Kretcher must go," the house elf stated whilst still in his bow, however, he continued to mumble loudly under his breath, "Even if Master is nothing more than a blood traitor. Kretcher prays for the day when he is defeated by the Dark Lord and Kretcher may have a new and worthy Master."

"Kretcher must not talk about Harry Potter in such a way!" Dobby exclaimed before throwing himself at the older creature.

"Stop fighting," Harry ordered. Kretcher, who had just raised his tiny first to punch at Dobby, was immediately frozen in place, as his fist would not connect. Ron had hurried over and pulled Dobby away from the older Kretcher.

"Dobby is sorry for fighting in your home, Harry Potter. However, Dobby can not stand to hear such bad things said about you," Dobby told Harry, great crystal tears shining in his huge eyes.

"It's okay, Dobby," Harry assured him. "And from now on please just call me Harry. It's how friends address one another. Now, why aren't you at school?"

Dobby, upon hearing Harry admit that he was a friend, had given into his tears and had wrapped his arms around Ron's knees, where he had buried his head and was now crying.

Hermione rushed over and patted Dobby on his quaking shoulders. Harry turned to look at Kretcher, who sat, pouting, on the floor.

"Kretcher has been sent to serve his Master. That one," he said, nodding his head at Dobby, "has been sacked."

Ophie, who had been sitting in silence stood up and looked at Kretcher, her hands on her hips. "Harry already has someone to serve him. He doesn't need you, you smelly, dirty dust rag!" Ophie turned to Harry and looked at him with a look that could only be given by someone who has diapered the other's bottom. "Harry must free Kretcher. He is a disgrace. He deserves clothes!"

Harry placed a gentle hand on Ophie's shoulder as he dropped to his knee in order to face her directly. "I'm sorry Ophie, but I can't get rid of him, even though I really do want to. He knows too much about the Order, the people who are working together to fight Voldermort."

"Well, then retire him!" Ophie ordered.

"You can retire a house elf?" Ron asked.

"Of course, all you have to do is chop off their head." Ophie told him.

"Ophie, as much as I dislike Kretcher, I could not kill him," Harry said.

"I'll volunteer!" Dobby said.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, smiling at Hermione's look of horror and Dobby's obvious glee at possibly being able to get rid of Kretcher.

"There will be no chopping of any heads," Harry said. "Dobby, why are you not working for Hogwarts?"

"Enrollment for Hogwarts this year is very low," Dobby started. "Only eight students from Slytherin house have returned, half of the Hufflepuff and half of the Ravenclaw students. Gryffindor lost only five students. The headmistress has combined all of the students in two different houses"

"That's almost half the school gone," Hermione stated.

"The headmistress said that even with the normal amount of first year students, there are not enough students to keep on all of the staff. The professor says Dobby is welcome to come back after you have defeated He Who Must Not Be Named." Dobby looked hopefully at Harry as though Harry should immediately pick up and get the job done.

"And so you and Kretcher have come here." Harry stated the obvious.

Ophie stomped her foot and looked miserable. "Dobby is a good elf," she informed him. "Dobby is unusual but Dobby is good. Kretcher is a bad house elf."

"Ophie, I can not let Kretcher free and I will not kill him. You will just have to put up with his presence, as I have no where else to send him." Harry told her.

"Why can't he go back to Grimmauld?" Ron asked.

"Because we don't know if it is completely safe to leave Kretcher alone. I would much rather Kretcher be in a secure place until we know he can't use his knowledge against us. If he can't be at Hogwarts than he will have to stay here."

Harry turned to face his servant. "Kretcher, while you are here, you are to help Ophie and Dobby in anyway needed. You will show respect to both of them. I also agree with Ophie that you are filthy. You are to show more respect to yourself, starting with a clean appearance."

Harry looked curiously at Ophie, "How can I get Kretcher clean again without giving him clothes? I'm almost frightened that if we clean Kretcher's….umm... uniform, that it will fall apart."

Ophie snapped her fingers and Kretcher's loincloth shown a dazzling white. His sagging dirty stomach pushed over the top of the cloth and it hung on his hips dangerously low. Dobby, not to be outdone, raised his hand and blew across his palm towards Kretcher. Kretcher glared at him as the gentle breeze wafted over him and touched his skin, leaving a trail of clean skin in its path.

"Is there anyway to make him more decent?" Ron asked. "It looks like his stuff is about to fall out and I do not want to see that."

Ophie snapped her fingers once more and Kretcher's uniform turned from a loincloth to a toga style outfit. His clothes now kept him decently covered removing the danger of anything 'falling' out.

Kretcher burst into tears as he took in his appearance. "A clean servant is one who does not work," he cried. "Now, all who see me will think I am lazy." He pounded his fists on the floor. "Kretcher would much rather be retired than to be found lazy."

The rest of the group left Kretcher on the floor and walked into the kitchen, taking seats at the table. Hermione turned to Ophie and said, "We need to find everything in the house that belonged directly to Gryffindor. Do you know of any of these items?"

"Yes, there is only one. I will go and fetch it." Ophie hopped down from her chair and ran for the other room. A moment later she came bobbing into the room. She climbed onto her chair and leaned onto the table. Stretching her arm across towards where Harry sat, she placed a small object on the table.

Harry picked up a golden ring. It was simple but elegant. The size and shape of the ring proved it to fit a man's finger. The large gold band was topped with a depiction of a lion in battle, paws in the air, mouth open. It matched the banners in the Gryffindor tower. There was no doubt as to whom it had belonged.

"Well, how do you think we can get the soul out of it?" Ron asked.

"First we must be sure it is a Horcrux. I'm not sure how, but I believe we may find the answers at school. It couldn't hurt for us to leave the ring intact, until we can find another option," Hermione looked hopefully at Harry, hoping he would agree with her.

She left out a sigh of relief when he nodded his head, " No use destroying it unless we have to."

"So now what?" Ron asked. "We got the ring, that must be what Dumbledore sent you here for."

"I don't think so," Hermione stated. "This has all been too easy. If this is all it took than Dumbledore could have gotten the ring himself."

"Hermione, you're confusing me. You just agreed that the ring could be the Horcrux. Plus, you said so yourself earlier, only Harry could open the house," Ron shook his head in confusion.

Hermione shook her head, "No, I said Harry would have to open the door now, as he is an adult, but I think there must have been something in place when he was a minor. I'm sure as caretaker of Harry's estate Dumbledore would have been allowed inside."

"Indeed, that is true," Ophie agreed. "He never spent the night, but he did check on Ophie regularly. He came many times over this past year to make sure Ophie was fine and safe. He telled Ophie that if his alarms go off, Ophie is to hide immediately."

"Alarms?" Ron questioned.

"Alarms to tell Ophie that the bad man is here, He Who Must Not Be Named." Ophie said.

"Dumbledore must have been worried that if Voldermort had left a Horcrux here that he may return for it," Hermione said.

"Oh, no, Miss. He was worried that he would find Master Harry's birthright." Ophie said.

"My birthright?" Harry asked while slipping the ring on his finger.It fit perfectly.

"Each child, firstborn of the firstborn, holds a direct link to the creator of the line. At your time of most need, you may call upon this link to bring you the powers of your ancestors. You is needing your birthright to do this." Ophie hopped from her chair and beckoned the group to follow them.

They passed back though the living room, where Kretcher was still moaning into the floor and out the front door. "Dobby, it may be best for you to stay inside to make sure Kretcher does not peak at us," Harry stated. In a line they followed closely behind the elf, around the side of the cottage, and into the back garden. The garden was full of bright brilliant colored flowers and oddly shaped trees. Harry recognized several of the exotic plants from his Herbology classes and even still more plants he had never before seen.

In the center of the garden was a large fountain and to this is where Ophie led the group. This fountain was not like a normal garden fountain. It did not depict a cherub pouring water or a mermaid, or any of the usual creatures that made for fountains. Instead a large stone heart sat atop of an open stone oval. A sheet of water poured from the center of the oval and down into the pool of the fountain.

"Is this my birthright?" Harry asked in confusion as Ophie stopped in front of the fountain.

"No. This is the place it is hidden." She answered. "Ophie is just stopping to pull up her uniform so it does not get wet."

The little elf raised her tea towel up a few inches to reveal a pair of skinny legs with knobby knees. Taking this as a queue, the others pulled off their shoes and socks and cuffed their pant legs above their knees. Cautiously, they followed Ophie into the water of the fountain.

The water was cool against their skin, but not cold. Ophie stepped to the center of the fountain and pushed her hand into the sheet of water streaming from the stone oval. The others watched as she stepped into the water and seemingly disappeared. This move was not what they where expecting, but not surprising as they had seen something similar once before, at the entrance to the wizard hospital, St Mungo's.

One by one, they each followed into the water. Ron stepped through first, then Hermione and finally Harry. Harry shut his eyes as he stepped through the water, and when he opened them, he was inside a round, stone room. The room was bright and airy, with sunlight streaming in from several windows in the ceiling.

"Where are we?" Ron asked.

"Hogwarts," Hermione said as she looked out one of the windows. Indeed, the view from the window she was looking out of was much the same as the view which shown from the windows in Gryffindor tower. "But, that's impossible."

"It is impossible," Ron agreed, "I'm not seeing the school. This window is liking looking outside my room at home." Ron pointed out of the window nearest him, which looked out over the back yards of the Borrow.

Harry looked out of the window nearest him and looked back into the gardens they had just come from. He turned to look at Ophie, who sniffed at him before wiping the tears that had begun to fill her large gleaming eyes.

"This is the 'Room of Love". The windows look out over the place you call home inside your hearts. Ophie is so happy to see her Harry sees his Hollow in his window," the elf gushed.

Harry turned from the huge, glistening eyes, which gazed upon him adoringly and began to look around the room. The area behind him, which had been a running stream of water, was now a large wooden door. It was the only door that Harry could see in the round room.

The room contained several chairs, as well as several stone columns, much like the display columns one would see at a museum. Harry walked around and took note that each of these items indeed had something on display.

Harry walked past a display, which held a picture of Ginny. The picture smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Next he walked past a column on which a golden snitch sat on top a pillow. Harry recognized the markings on the ball as being the first snitch he had ever captured. Several of Harry's things seemed to be on display, such as the photo album Hagrid had given him, the good luck card Sirius had sent him several years before, before his last test in the Tri Wizard Tournament and his first broomstick (a Nimbus 2000) which had been destroyed but now was once again beautiful and whole.

"This room contains the memories of everything you love," Ophie said. "It also contains Master Harry's birthright."

She walked to the center display and motioned the others around. Harry looked down to see a simple silver oval, hanging on a long piece of black cord.

Harry picked the piece up and examined it. It looked like an old fashioned necklace. It did not look like any type of powerful object. However, as he held the oval in his hand, he could feel a warmth tingling inside.

"Ophie," Hermione said, "I thought you said there was only one item of Gryffindor's in the house?"

"Ophie did not lie, Miss.," Ophie said. "This item is not from Godric Gryffindor. This item is from way before his time. This item was created by his ancestor, Rondlyn."

"Harry," Hermione whispered in awe, "Rondlyn is the oldest known witch in history. I was just reading about her this spring, before Dumbledore… before school ended. They located some new writings of Merlin in a cave near Cornwall. Merlin referred to her as the 'Mother of Magic'. She lived before the Egyptians, before the Greeks, before it all. Merlin even wrote that she guarded Avalon during the great world flood. If it had not been for her, all of our magical creatures, like the unicorns, would have drowned. Harry, this must be what Dumbledore sent you for!"

"I wonder how it works?" Harry asked aloud.

"I wonder why Dumbledore did not give it to you to use already. Something that powerful could have gotten rid of Voldermort ages ago," Ron said.

"The power can only be used once, sir," Ophie informed him. "And only when it is most needed. There is no way to work it, it knows when it is needed and will only work then."

"If that is the case, why did it not work for my father, when Voldermort attacked the first time? He certainly needed it!" Harry noted.

"Harry Potter's father was not wearing it that night. He had taken it off and placed it around your neck. Nobody expected the power of Miss Lilly's love to do what it did by saving the young baby Harry. Master James hoped that if you and your mother was captured that the necklace would save you. It was luck that kept He Who Must Not Be Named from seeing the charm around your neck that night. " Ophie informed him.

Harry placed the cord around his neck and tucked the oval into his shirt. He could feel the warm stone against his skin. The oval rested just over the pendant of blood his aunt had given him, so that the two felt connected. As the two charms met, they did seem to connect, for as they swung on their long cords, they stade as one, next to Harry's heart.

The trio looked around the room some more, at the things on display. There where items that contained Hermione's and Ron's loves as well. One display held a large stack of books, which belonged to Hermione, while another display was obviously Ron's, as it contained a plate bearing a small feast of food.

There was laughter as the trio tried to pick out who belonged to some of the more interesting displays. Hermione admitted that the column containing containers of beetle eyes and frog livers where hers (It's_ referring to my love of potions, you guys_.) She and Ron both turned beat red when Harry came across a display containing a single pair of women's panties. Harry raised an eyebrow at the black lacey under things, but wisely did not say anything. They decided it was time to leave when Hermione pointed out that they each had displays of the other two in common. Tears shown as she pointed out Harry's picture of Ron and Hermione holding hands. Ron's picture was of Hermione helping Harry with his homework, and Hermione's picture was of Ron and Harry, with an arm slung around each other's shoulders holding their brooms in the air after Quidditch practice.

They followed Ophie out the door and back into the fountain. They put their shoes back on and went inside the house. Upon entering the living room, they found Dobby sitting on top of Kretcher's back.

"Dobby, what happened?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing, Miss," Dobby said, jumping up from his position. "Dobby was just making sure that Kretcher was not watching at the windows."

"Good job." Said Ron and Harry together, earning a look from Hermione.

"Now, Dobby, Kretcher is old. I am sure you can keep him out of trouble without having to be so forceful."

"Yes," Dobby admitted, "But this was more fun."

Both young men snickered as Hermione gapped at the house elf. Hermione opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted by a loud whooshing sound. The fireplace had turned ignited in flames of deep emerald green. They watched as Lupin, Hagrid and Headmistress McGonagall came through the flames.

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A/N: Thank you all for reading and apologize for the amount of time between chapters. I have been busy moving into my new house, and have had some computer problems. I hope to purchase a newer, more reliable computer in the near future. If only I had a vault of gold laying around somewhere...

As always please review. I love hearing from you, the good and the bad.


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